Ask Laz: Can your boss put your vacation requests on hold? [Video]

OK, worker bee, an island getaway is calling your name, but your boss won't let you answer. Is that kosher? 

KTLA viewer Veronica is asking. Her mom works for a hotel in downtown Los Angeles. When she puts in for time off, hotel management tells her whether she can get the break depends on how many guests they have at the time.   

She wants to know whether they can legally do that.

Laz's reply? Well, that depends.

Click the video to find out more. 

 

 

 

You can catch David Lazarus on KTLA-TV Channel 5 weekday mornings and during the 1 p.m. newscast. 

If you have a question, write or send a video to asklaz@ktla.com. You might just get the answer on KTLA. 

 

RELATED: 

Women a century away from breaking California glass ceiling, study says

Most companies plan on having holiday parties: report 

60% of workplaces surveyed block online shopping at the office

 

 

-- Michelle Maltais

 

Consumer Confidential: GOP block, Amazon discount, credit card debt

Here's your thick-as-a-brick Thursday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--As expected, Senate Republicans have blocked a vote on whether to approve President Obama's pick to run the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. GOP lawmakers say they have nothing against former Ohio Atty. Gen. Richard Cordray. They just don't like the agency, which is intended to keep an eye on credit card issuers, mortgage lenders and others with a track record for -- how shall we put it? -- not always acting in consumers' best interest. Republicans want to water down the agency's leadership structure, and they say they won't approve anyone to run the show until they get what they want. I'll have more on this in my Friday column.

--Amazon is stepping up its game. The online retail heavyweight says it will give customers a 5% discount if they check out the price of something in a brick-and-mortar store and then buy it via the Net from Amazon. The trick is Amazon's Price Check app, which allows users to instantaneously check to see whether Amazon sells the same merchandise for a better price. This Saturday, app users will get that 5% discount below whatever the store's price may be. Amazon’s app is available for the iPhone and Android smartphones at no cost to the user. You can do a price check by scanning an item’s bar code or typing in a search query, or even by snapping a photo or saying the product name. Needless to say, real-world stores aren't happy about the promotion. (Time.com)

--But go a little easy on the spending. Consumers piled on $16.8 billion in credit card debt in the third quarter, up 154% from the same quarter last year, according to CardHub.com. The news comes on the heels of a report by First Data that credit card spending in the U.S. rose in the first three quarters of the year. The Great Recession may have promoted many consumers to put away their plastic for a while, but they are apparently spending again -- big time. Based on the results of its study, CardHub.com’s latest projection is that consumers will end 2011 with roughly $64 billion more in credit card debt than they began it with. Ouch. (ConsumerAffairs.com)

-- David Lazarus

Photo: President Obama wants Richard Cordray to run a new watchdog agency. Senate Republicans think otherwise. Credit: Joshua Roberts / Bloomberg

 

Ask Laz: Getting educated on student debt proposals [Video]

When you think about going to school and the big payoff, these days it's more about the massive amount of accumulated debt than about getting a job. 

How high is the cost of higher education?

This year, student debt is expected to top $1 trillion, beating out credit-card debt in America. 

KTLA viewer Chris is carrying about $100,000 in student loans herself. She asks Laz about what President Obama has been proposing to help ease the growing financial burden of higher education. He explains in the video below.

 

 

You can catch him on KTLA-TV Channel 5 weekday mornings and during the 1 p.m. newscast. 

If you have a question, write or send a video to asklaz@ktla.com. He just might answer your question on television.

RELATED: 

Young people think college is critical but too expensive

California leads nation in escalation of college costs

Average student-loan debt tops $25,000 for first time

 

-- Michelle Maltais

 

 

 

 

Consumer Confidential: Unhealthiest cereals, email scam warning

Here's your why-do-fools-fall-in-love Wednesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

-- So what are the unhealthiest cereals? Glad you asked. According to the Environmental Working Group, Kellogg’s Honey Smacks, at nearly 56% sugar by weight, leads the list of the 10 worst children’s cereals. In fact, a one-cup serving of the brand packs more sugar than a Hostess Twinkie, and one cup of any of 44 other children’s cereals reviewed has more sugar than three Chips Ahoy! cookies. No. 2 on the bad-for-you list is Post Golden Crisp (51.9% sugar by weight), followed by Kellogg's Froot Loops Marshmallow (48.3%), Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch's OOPS! All Berries (46.9%) and Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch Original (44.4%). So what's good? You can't go wrong with a nice bowl of homemade oatmeal. (ConsumerAffairs.com)

-- Heads up: The Better Business Bureau is warning about a malicious email circulating the country. It says the email appears to come from a Better Business Bureau employee about a recently filed complaint with the organization. The email tells recipients to review the matter and advise the organization of their position on the complaint. Recipients are directed to a link which the email claims will take the reader to the BBB website. In fact the link takes recipient elsewhere, where a virus can be downloaded to your computer. An attachment with the mail may also contain a virus. The BBB says that if you get an email like this, delete it. Pronto. (WAVY.com)

-- David Lazarus

Photo: Some kids' cereals are nearly half sugar by weight. Credit: Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

 

Ask Laz: Settling disagreements over inherited property [Video]

Death can sometimes lead to a house divided.

So is the case for KTLA-TV viewer Don, whose sister died and left her house to him, his brother and their mother.

They don't agree about what to do with the property. He wants to rent it out and his brother and mom want to use it as a family getaway.

Can he sell his third to them -- and what if they don't want to buy it? 

Los Angeles Times consumer columnist David Lazarus says Don has some options. Among them is to file in court a petition for partition. David explains what that entails in the video below. 

 

You can catch him on KTLA (Channel 5) weekday mornings and during the 1 p.m. newscast. 

If you have a question, write or send a video to asklaz@ktla.com. He just might tackle your issue on television.

RELATED:

California, Nevada team up to investigate foreclosure fraud

Consumer Confidential: Drug prices, Google Wallet, paper towels

Freddie Mac: Mortgage rates stuck in low at 4%

-- Michelle Maltais

Consumer Confidential: Drug prices, Google Wallet, paper towels

Here's your touch-of-gray Tuesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Drug-price gouging could soon become a federal crime. Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) says he's proposing a bill that that would give the Justice Department the authority to crack down on "unscrupulous drug distributors" who sell hospitals lifesaving prescription medicines in short supply at huge markups. The problem has been growing this year, as shortages have dramatically worsened for normally cheap generic injected medicines that are the lifeblood of hospitals: drugs for cancer, pain, infections, even liquid nutrition and anesthesia for surgery. The shortages are disrupting care of patients and even clinical trials of experimental drugs that must be tested against older standard treatments. (Associated Press)

--Verizon is growing pickier about what it lets on your smart phone. Verizon Wireless is blocking the new flagship phone running Google's Android software, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, from running Google's in-store payment application, the Wallet. The smart phone is the first to run a new version of Android, and is due to be released soon by Verizon. Examinations by Wired and other publications reveal that the international version of the phone has the chip necessary to run Google Wallet. But Verizon is part of a consortium of carriers that are planning its own payment application, and the company says its waiting to provide a wallet application until it can provide "the best security and user experience." (Associated Press)

--Like most people, you've probably been up at night agonizing over which paper towel is best. Well, worry no more. Our friends at Consumer Reports have been running tests, and they've got the answers. The magazine put 23 towels through their paces, testing for absorption, scrubbing and wet strength. The top paper towel is plain Bounty, with a score of 90. (Don’t confuse it with its lower-scoring brand mate, Bounty Basic, which earned a 66.) In second place was Bounty Extra Soft with a score of 84. In third place, Target’s Up & Up Eastern version. The Western version, from a different supplier, didn't perform as well. And now you know. (ConsumerAffairs.com)

-- David Lazarus

 

Ask Laz: Who pays when dogs attack? [Video]

If you do a face plant on your pricey bike after a dog attacks, does little Cujo's owner have to pay for the damage to your ride?

That's what KTLA viewer Alfred wants to know.

His $3,000 bicycle was trashed after an unleashed dog came after him in Coyote Canyon, and he wants to know whether he has a case for compensation.

Los Angeles Times consumer columnist David Lazarus weighs in.

 

If you have a burning question, drop a line or send a video to David at asklaz@ktla.com.

Consumer Confidential: Slower mail, cyber sales, bad brakes

Here's your more-than-a-woman Monday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Here's the latest bid by the U.S. Postal Service to cut its losses: slower mail. The Postal Service, which is trying to cut $20 billion in operating costs by 2015, is asking the Postal Regulatory Commission to let it relax delivery standards for first-class mail, which includes letters and bills. Slowing mail delivery would reduce the number of mail-processing plants the Postal Service needs. The service said in September that it was considering loosening delivery standards and closing 252, or more than half, of its mail-processing plants. The agency said last month it expects a $14.1-billion loss in 2012 as mail volume continues to drop. (Bloomberg)

--Clearly, we like shopping online. Purchases reached nearly $6 billion for the "Cyber Week" that runs from the Sunday before Cyber Monday through Dec. 2, according to the latest data from ComScore. The big drivers of the bountiful Cyber Week were three of the four heaviest online spending days in history, each of which posted sales in excess of $1 billion: Cyber Monday, the heaviest online spending day on record at $1.25 billion; Tuesday, Nov. 29, at $1.12 billion; and Wednesday, Nov. 30, at $1.03 billion. Online spending for the first 32 days of the November-December 2011 holiday season has totaled $18.7 billion, a 15% increase compared with the corresponding days last year. (Washington Business Journal)

--Heads up: Subaru is recalling three of its car models and Honda is recalling some motorcycles, all because the brakes can malfunction. The Honda recall covers 126,000 GL-1800 motorcycles from the 2001 to 2012 model years. A problem with a secondary brake master cylinder can cause the rear brake to drag, possibly causing a crash or fire. The Subaru recall involves nearly 32,000 Legacy, Outback and Impreza models from the 2012 model year. A defective brake master cylinder could cause the brake pedal to travel farther than expected. Federal safety regulators say this could cause a driver to misjudge the amount of pressure needed to stop quickly. (Associated Press)

-- David Lazarus

Photo:: The U.S. Postal Service is trying to cut $20 billion in operating costs by 2015. Credit: Paul J. Richards / AFP/Getty Images

 

Consumer Confidential: Ticketmaster refund, Lipitor probe

Here's your fool-to-cry Friday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--If you bought a ticket through Ticketmaster between October 1999 and October of this year, you're due for some cash -- $1.50, to be precise. Because of a proposed class action settlement, Ticketmaster is being forced to credit that much per ticket order (up to 17 orders) to customers because the company profited from "processing fees" without declaring that it was doing so. According to court documents, the original claim, filed Oct. 21, 2003, also implicates UPS' delivery price for expedited delivery of tickets as deceptive. This could end up costing Ticketmaster a hefty amount of money. If, in any given year over the four-year redemption period, less than $11.25 million is redeemed by customers, Ticketmaster is going to donate the remainder to charity. (Business Insider)

--For a while, it looked like the wireless market could get more competitive as cable companies tried to launch their own service. But that's not going to happen. Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks are giving up on their dreams of creating their own wireless network, opting instead to resell Verizon Wireless service. The companies say they have agreed to sell their wireless licenses -- which they haven't been using -- to Verizon for $3.6 billion. The cable companies paid $2.2 billion for the spectrum in 2006, so they're getting a 64% gain on a five-year investment. For Verizon, the deal offers millions of potential new customers and maintains the status quo in the wireless space. (Associated Press)

--First drug maker Pfizer had to contend with its blockbuster drug Lipitor going generic this week. Now some lawmakers are asking the company and other health businesses to detail agreements to block prescriptions of generic versions of the cholesterol drug Lipitor and sell only the Pfizer brand-name version. Pfizer is offering discounts to companies that will reject generic prescriptions and favor Lipitor. The senators say they're concerned about longer term impacts on employers, Medicare and healthcare costs. They include Sen. Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat; Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican; and Herb Kohl, the Wisconsin Democrat who is chairman of the Special Committee on Aging. (New York Times)

-- David Lazarus

Photo: Questionable fees will result in refunds for Ticketmaster customers. Credit: Paul Sakuma/AP

 

Ask Laz: Flying the bankrupt skies [Video]

How will American Airlines filing for bankruptcy protection affect passengers? What happens to frequent-flier miles, tickets and bookings? Los Angeles Times consumer columnist David Lazarus has the answers.

 

Consumer Confidential: IRS cash, hot TVs, Siri's abortion stance

Here's your theme-from-Shaft Thursday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

-- The Internal Revenue Service may have some cash for you. The Tax Man has $153 million in undelivered refund checks looking for the right homes. The IRS says there are 99,123 taxpayers to whom the checks weren’t delivered because it had the wrong mailing address. The returned checks average $1,547 apiece. It’s an annual exercise for the IRS, which has been nudging taxpayers toward accepting their refunds through direct, electronic deposits to their bank accounts. Out of the nearly 103 million refunds the IRS issued through early June this year, 76 million were direct deposits. Taxpayers hoping to claim their refund can click on the “Check on Your Refund” link at Irs.gov/, or call (800) 829-1954. (Associated Press)

-- The latest economic indicator: Pricey TVs are hot. Wal-Mart says TVs are among the top gifts people are putting on layaway at its 3,000-plus U.S. stores during the holiday season. The Westinghouse 46-inch LCD HDTV that was on sale for half off at Target for $298 was a top seller during the start to the season last weekend. And Abt Electronics already has sold out of 55-inch Samsung LED TVs that were marked down by half to $1,099. TV sales had slowed as consumers tightened their budgets, and technologies such as 3-D failed to spark people's interest the way tablet computers and smartphones have. But now shoppers are responding to the discounts of up to 50%. That's going to make Santa's sleigh a whole lot heavier. (Associated Press)

-- Apple says Siri isn't really so anti-abortion after all. The apparent inability of the virtual assistant in the iPhone 4S to come up with info about abortion clinics and women's health services in some areas was not intentional or deliberate, the company says. Apple attributed the problem to kinks in the software that are still being ironed out. Siri's odd behavior was first noted earlier this week by several bloggers who found that they were not able to get complete or accurate results when searching for information about reproductive health services. When asked to find an abortion clinic in Manhattan, for example, Siri's answer is: "Sorry, I couldn't find any abortion clinics." (New York Times)

-- David Lazarus

Photo: The IRS has a pile of unpaid refunds for taxpayers. Credit: Ed Stein / United Media